The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-11-23
Precipitation.

The human body is made up for the
most part OF water. A man weighing
154 pounds contains about ITO pounds
OF water, and only forty-four pounds of
dry matter. Water is therefore vitality
necessary to all human existence, and
is supplied in all kinds of food, as we'll
as with liquids, and also in the atmos-
phere that we breathe. 1t is constant
ly being thrown off from the body, and
forms very important agent in remov-
ing decayed matter from the system.
Water is removed from the system by
means of the kidneys, by the lungs,
and through the skin. The amount of
water daily evaporated by lungs and
skin, in healthy condition of the sys-
tenn, is equal to about one-third OF the
weight of the whole food, solid and
liquid. which is taken into the stomach.
The skin of a full-grown man therefore
: exhales in twenty-four hours, in ordin-
airy circumstances, from one and a half
to two pounds OF water in insensible
perspiration. When, in hot weather,
or in undergoing violent eXertion, the
perspiration becomes sensible, ana in
stead of exhaling in a gentle moisture
Is thrown off in large drops of water, a
much greater weight is disposed of In
this way. The action of this exhalation
takes place through glands. These
glands are cylindrical tubes. arranged
In the form of globular coil situated
In the connective tissue Immediately
under the third and inner layer of the
skin. From each gland small duct
passes upward through the layers of the
skin, and terminates in very minute
and oblique opening on the surface
The folds of the perspiratory gland are
surrounded by close network of cap
Hilary blood vessels, from which the
watery and salt ingredients of the per-
SEPARATION are exuded into the tube, and
by capillary attraction are drawn to
the surface and thrown off. 1t does
not seem so strange that the human
body can throw off nearly two pints of
water daily, so gradually and so gently
that it is not felt as moisture, when we
remember how many glands there are
and how very small each atom of moist
ure must be. On the back, the thighs,
and legs, there are about $40 Perspira-
tory glands to the square inch of skin;
on the breast, the forehead, neck, fore
arm, and back of the hand and foot,
about 200 to the square inch; and on
Jhe sole of the foot and on the palm of
the hand, 2,700 in the same space. 1t
Is estimated that the number of per-
spiratory glands over the whole body is
not less than 100000, and as each
tubular coil when unraveled is about
one-fifteenth of an inch in length, the
entire extent of tubing used to throw
off the perspiration is not less than
1913, 900 inches, or nearly two miles and
half. A certain portion of the de-
caying matter of the body is thrown off
through the Precipitation, but the prin-
cipal Office of this exhalation is to reg
ulate the temperature of the body.
When the body is kept in state of
cleanliness and health, so that the cir
culation is regular and the respiratory
glands are always evenly but seldom
aGnormalfy acttve, exposure to severe
cold can be safely borne. When undue
exertion brings out greater flow of
perspiration than can be readily and
quickly removed by evaporation, the
moisture chills the skin surface, the
little mouths of the sweat tubes con-
tract, there is what we call a checking
of the perspiration, which Immediately
produces sensation of chilliness. We
have taken cold, we say, and severe i'll.
ness often results from this interior
ence with the natural evaporation of
the skin-Tnfe,s 0cp11l